The short period of peace passed quickly. To thank Augustus D. Aether for helping Shirahoshi overco her fears, the Ryugu Kingdom had already prepared a grand banquet inside the royal palace.
Even Wadatsumi received special treatnt from the royal family. The deep sea giant, who had lived like a savage for most of his life, completely lost himself in the feast as he devoured countless delicacies he had never even imagined tasting before.
"Delicious, delicious! You people are amazing, I like you all!"
Aether casually chatted and laughed with several rmaid ladies while occasionally glancing toward the ecstatic Wadatsumi.
He had already made plans regarding the giant. A deep sea giant would be extrely useful in the future, especially during the upcoming great war. Whether in underwater combat or as a hidden trump card, Wadatsumi possessed enormous value.
During the banquet, Aether also contacted Silvers Rayleigh to ask about the current situation above the sea.
Unfortunately, there were no coated ships available on Fish-Man Island at the mont. The coating process would only be completed by tomorrow morning, otherwise Aether would have already returned to the New World to stabilize his territory before greater troubles erged.
The banquet eventually ca to an end.
After great difficulty, Aether finally escaped from the enthusiastic rmaid ladies. Several lipstick marks still remained on his face, making him sigh inwardly at how dangerous rmaids truly were.
During the feast, Shirahoshi had barely gotten the chance to speak with him because he had constantly been surrounded by beautiful rmaids. The young princess puffed her cheeks the entire ti, clearly unhappy.
Even though those older sisters were elegant and gentle, they could not simply monopolize him.
Faced with Shirahoshi's resentnt, Aether pretended not to notice anything.
After leaving the banquet hall and stepping onto the lively streets, a black-haired twin tailed rmaid suddenly handed him a letter before quickly leaving.
Aether blinked in confusion.
"Who would send a letter? So rmaid girl?"
After opening it, he realized he was only half correct.
The sender was indeed a female rmaid, but not a young girl.
Instead, it was the twenty seven year old owner of the rmaid Cafe, Madam Shyarly.
After carefully reading the contents, surprise appeared on Aether's face.
Shyarly had invited him to a private eting tonight, claiming she wished to personally thank him for saving Fish-Man Island.
"…Is this really necessary?"
Although puzzled, Aether still followed the address written in the letter.
He walked through the bustling streets before eventually pushing open the doors of the rmaid Cafe.
The mont he entered, he froze slightly.
The entire cafe was illuminated by warm golden lights. Exquisite food and expensive drinks filled the table at the center of the hall.
However, what shocked Aether the most was Shyarly herself.
Tonight, she had abandoned her usual loose hooded clothing and changed into a seductive purple evening dress that perfectly displayed her mature figure. The deep neckline exposed a breathtaking amount of cleavage.
Her normally casual short hair had been carefully styled, while dark eyeshadow and crimson lipstick gave her a completely different aura.
Combined with her dark blue shark tail, the mature rmaid radiated a dangerous charm that was impossible to ignore.
Compared to her usual appearance, she looked like an entirely different person tonight.
Aether glanced down at his own attire, his crimson dragon patterned three piece suit, and silently concluded that he had not ruined the atmosphere.
He calmly sat opposite her.
"Shyarly, what caused you to suddenly invite here? You already thanked two days ago. Preparing another banquet tonight feels excessive."
Shyarly elegantly brushed aside a strand of hair before pouring wine into his glass.
"It is nothing special. Two days ago, I perford a divination for you."
"Oh?"
"I saw Fish-Man Island walking toward the light because of you. I saw our people standing proudly beneath the sun on the surface. So, I wanted to thank you in advance."
"Co, Lord Aether, have a drink first."
Aether narrowed his eyes slightly.
Her behavior tonight was clearly unusual.
People only acted this strangely when they wanted sothing, or when they were hiding sothing.
Still, he accepted the wine and drank it in one gulp.
Whether Shyarly's prophecy was true or false, he had no intention of dwelling on it for now.
Soon afterward, Shyarly began chatting with him naturally, as though they were simply ordinary friends sharing drinks together.
"Another glass."
"…Fine."
"Co on, one more."
"You are acting strange tonight, Shyarly."
"No, I am not."
The drinking continued for nearly two hours.
Even with Aether's monstrous physique, he had beco half drunk from the powerful alcohol.
At so point, Shyarly had moved from across the table to sit beside him.
A faint fragrance unique to rmaids drifted into the air.
Because of her enormous size, even while sitting, she still appeared much taller than Aether.
Her cheeks were flushed from drinking, though her eyes remained unusually focused.
Quietly, she confird that Aether was sufficiently intoxicated before slowly reaching beneath the table.
A treasure grade dagger appeared in her hand.
She stared silently at the half conscious man beside her.
For a brief mont, hesitation appeared in her eyes.
Then, determination replaced it.
Just as she prepared to strike, Aether suddenly turned his head toward her.
Shyarly's body stiffened in shock as she instantly hid the dagger behind her back.
"Hm… Shyarly…"
Aether's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why do I suddenly feel Killing Intent?"
"There is nobody else here. You are imagining things."
Shyarly forced herself to remain calm as she suppressed the panic in her heart.
Fortunately, the half drunk Aether did not continue pressing the issue.
Soon, the last bottle of wine was emptied.
Outside, the light of the Sun Tree Eve had long disappeared, leaving the island under the glow of the night.
Aether slowly stood up.
"It is late. I should leave."
Seeing him preparing to depart, Shyarly clenched her fists tightly.
She had already co this far.
There was no turning back now.
Suddenly, a warm and soft body wrapped around Aether from behind.
A fresh fragrance rushed into his senses.
Lowering his head slightly, he saw Shyarly's flushed face as she leaned against him.
"Stay tonight… and keep company, okay?"
Aether stared at her silently.
Then, the rmaid Cafe gradually fell quiet.
…
Two hours later.
Inside the dark room, a sharp dagger suddenly stabbed toward Aether's chest.
However, before the blade could touch him, a powerful hand firmly grabbed Shyarly's wrist.
The sleeping Aether slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze landed directly on the beautiful rmaid before him.
There was no anger in his expression.
Only disappointnt and confusion.
He truly had not expected Shyarly to go this far.
To sacrifice herself rely for a chance to assassinate him.
Aether calmly asked:
"Why do you want to kill ?"
"Is it because of the fishn who died a few days ago?"
"Or do you simply hate humans that much?"
Shyarly remained silent.
The bedsheets beneath them still carried traces of blood.
The atmosphere inside the room instantly turned heavy.
Before she could react, Aether flipped her over and pinned her beneath him.
Their faces were only inches apart.
"Tell ," Aether said quietly, "why do you want to kill ?"
Shyarly avoided his sharp gaze.
Fear appeared on her face.
The stalemate continued until Aether suddenly spoke again.
"If you refuse to answer, then perhaps we should continue what happened earlier before talking."
Hearing that, Shyarly imdiately panicked.
She pressed both palms against his chest and hurriedly spoke.
"I did it for Fish-Man Island."
"And for the world."
"You will destroy Fish-Man Island."
Aether's eyes flickered slightly.
Destroy Fish-Man Island?
The words instantly reminded him of the prophecy from the original future involving Monkey D. Luffy.
Back then, Shyarly had foreseen Luffy destroying Fish-Man Island, but the true aning behind the prophecy had been misunderstood from the very beginning.
After loosening the pressure pinning her down, Aether calmly asked:
"What exactly did you see?"
Shyarly hurriedly sat up while pulling together her torn clothing to cover herself.
Feeling the miserable state of her dress, she gritted her teeth internally.
"What a complete beast…"
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